GREEN BAY (NBC26) — When it comes to reading levels, Brown County students are performing better than the state average, but local organizations say there's still significant room for improvement in childhood literacy.
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Achieve Brown County is a community partnership focused on helping issues which impact local young people. According to data they've reported, more than 45% of third graders in Brown County read below grade level. This prompted a community group to expand volunteer programs aimed at helping young students develop crucial reading skills.
In Brown County, adults can volunteer as reading coaches for children in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms in the Pulaski, Green Bay and De Pere school districts.
"To help students not only with their reading abilities but also confidence and just helping them academically as well," said Eileen Metzler, reading coaches coordinator at the Volunteer Center of Brown County.
For about 20 years, volunteer reading coaches have been spending approximately one hour per week during the school day with two to four students who may need help developing reading skills.
Last year, more than 100 volunteer reading coaches helped more than 3,600 students.
"93% of the students that had a volunteer reading coach in a classroom saw an increase in their reading skills and ability through a teacher's informal and formal evaluation, which is huge," Metzler said.
Despite this extra help, the reading challenges persist. More than 45% of third graders in Brown County read below grade level. Statewide, just over 50% of third graders are reading below grade level.
"If you're not able to read well by the end of third grade, you are now behind even further because you're trying to use a skill that you haven't mastered to master other skills," said Kaelyn Ahola, communications manager for Achieve Brown County. "If you can't read well by the end of third grade you are four times more likely to not graduate high school."
While reading test scores among Brown County third graders are better than those of students statewide, organizations like the Volunteer Center of Brown County are working to improve that statistic through the reading coaches program.
Metzler, who worked as a reading coach herself, said the program benefits volunteers as well as students.
"Our volunteers get so much out of it," Metzler said. "I hear from a lot of our volunteers that sometimes, that's the one day a week that they leave the house and they get to interact with other people in the community."
According to Achieve Brown County, where a child lives and their family's economic status are among the factors that influence reading levels the most.
"There are systems that we know about that aren't doing the best that they can for kids, and we are aware of them but we don't know how to fix them," Ahola said. "That's what Achieve Brown County is here to help with."
Achieve Brown County, along with other local organizations, is setting a goal to improve third grade reading levels by 2030. Metzler says the Volunteer Center of Brown County is always looking for new reading coaches.
NBC 26 is raising money to put brand new books in the hands of kids at Lincoln Elementary School in Green Bay. Our goal is to provide 10 books for each student.
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